1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to finger rings, and more specifically to rings for protecting the fingers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Those who cut hair professionally work with extremely sharp scissors. Modern hair cutting techniques require such professionals to grasp sections of hair between the outer ends of two extended fingers and to cut along the fingers using them as a guide. However, the first knuckle of each finger, i.e. where the finger attaches to the hand, is prominent and particularly susceptible to being razed or caught between the scissors' blades. Although the commonly-quoted rule of safe technique is to "avoid cutting beyond the second knuckle," haste and the occasional need to make a difficult cutting maneuver sometimes prompt the breach of this rule. Indeed, if one is able to cut a larger section of hair in a single pass, a haircut may be completed more quickly, thereby increasing productivity.
Another area vulnerable to injury is the fleshy pad on the finger's underside; it tends to protrude and is therefore exposed to being cut when using the underside of the fingers as a guide.
Thus, some manner of protecting the first knuckle is needed, both to guard against the occasional slip of the scissors and to permit extension of the standard cutting range beyond that knuckle. Further, any device directed to this purpose should protect the pad on the finger's underside without inhibiting the finger's ability to flex where it joins the hand.
Rings of various configurations are in common use for adornment of the human hand. However, a device directed to the above purposes goes beyond, in structure, the styles commonly employed for mere adornment.